Health insurance for preexisting conditions
Prior to the Affordable Care act (ACA), most family and individual health plans in the United States did not cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. This meant that those with common health problems like high blood pressure, asthma or allergies would have to pay higher premiums and might not be able to get the health insurance they wanted.
The discrimination was a major problem for people with chronic illness and injuries. It made it very difficult to find coverage that was affordable. Historically the only way for people with chronic illnesses and injuries to get affordable coverage was to purchase the large group health insurance that was offered to employees in companies with at least 500 employees.
These plans were more expensive and did not offer all the features that most individuals needed, such as prescription drug coverage or preventive services. The plans also had limitations on lifetime benefits. Many of these policies also have high out-ofpocket costs, including for cancer treatment.
Prior to the ACA, a patient with a preexisting condition would have had to wait a certain amount of time before enrolling in a new health plan. This waiting period may range from six to twelve months, depending on state regulations and the type of insurance plan.
For example, a 48-year-old freelance writer named Lori had a chronic high blood pressure condition that was well controlled on two medications. She could only afford affordable coverage after purchasing her own insurance and paying her monthly payments. She was frustrated with the lack of affordable coverage that she could afford. So, she tried to find ways to get a more comprehensive insurance policy for herself.
She finally enrolled into a Medicare Advantage Plan which covered her medications and did not have a waiting time for pre-existing medical conditions. She also had to pay an extra $2 a month for the prescription drug coverage that she needed.
Preexisting conditions are still a factor in insurance decisions, and can be used to deny coverage or force people to pay more for their policy. However, this happens very rarely. This is because the ACA has put a cap on how much insurers can charge people with preexisting conditions, but they can still be discriminated against by non-ACA-compliant companies who will exclude these people from their policies or raise premiums to offset the cost of covering them.
Coons suggests that the ACA provided preexisting condition protections to the more than 150 million Americans who get their health coverage through their place of employment, but this is not entirely true. HIPAA offered preexisting condition coverage to employees with employer coverage. However, the ACA made that protection available to all those who purchased individual and family health coverage through the ACA's marketplace.
A Ca and pre-existing conditions
The Affordable Healthcare Act is a significant law that helped millions of Americans gain affordable health care insurance. The law's provisions that prevent people with preexisting health conditions from being denied coverage are among the most popular. Republicans have tried to overturn the law several times in the Supreme Court but failed. In light of that, it is crucial that Congress enact a strong law to ensure that everyone has access to affordable health insurance.